Everyone happily agrees that cooking is its own art form. People do not regularly acknowledge, however, the art of survival cooking. Not yet, anyway.
Survival cooking can also be referred to as primitive cooking. This simply means cooking without modern-day luxuries like gas or electricity.
Survival cooking is an important weapon in the arsenal of any prepper.
For those of us who love cooking it can be terrifying to accept that one day, we will not have access to our kitchens and our tastefully stocked pantries. What can make this less scary, however, is learning some survival cooking techniques. This way you can still feed your family, even during an emergency.
In dire situations, a good meal can change everyone's outlook. Survival cooking is the perfect recipe for restoring hope and filling bellies.
In this article, we're going to talk you through our top 4 survival cooking methods that every prepper should know.
Let's not waste any more time shall we, we have things to prepare for…
The Basics
There are a few basic skills all preppers need to have in their back pocket if they want to be able to survive.
One of these is starting a fire. None of our cooking methods will be very useful to you if you can't do that.
Here are a few reasons why you should know how to start a fire:
- Fires can keep you warm
- Fires will help you cook, and make your meals more pleasant
- Fires create light
- Fires can be used to leave messages or send signals
You get it.
Need help learning this skill? Check out this handy guide to starting fires in the wild:
Once you've learned that you can move onto our top 4 survival cooking methods:
#4 - Earth Oven
We're kicking off this list with a tried and true method, used by humans all over the world for thousands of years. All you'll need for this method is food, coal, and dirt.
TIP - Start your earth oven construction 2 hours before you need to eat. This method is best if you are somewhere safe, where you can remain for at least a few hours.
Dig a hole in the ground and start a fire at the base of the pit. The more food you are trying to cook the bigger your hole will need to be, and the larger the fire.
Cover the fire with large stones. Then add a protective layer of vegetation over the stones. Place your food onto this vegetation, before covering it with a second layer of vegetation. Then fill in the rest of the whole.
Leave to cook.
The larger the amount of food you are trying to cook, the longer the cooking will take. A whole animal may take a whole day.
#3 - Faux Griddle
For this method, you will need a flat, thin item that will conduct heat well. The best option for this is corrugated iron. However, flat stones or ceramic tiles may be easier to find.
TIP - it is very easy to burn yourself using this method. So, be careful. If you are in a situation when you need to do survival cooking, the likelihood is you won't be able to treat your burn correctly.
Once you have found your long thin item, start a fire. Use two large rocks on either side of the fire to create a shelf with your faux griddle. Leave it over the fire to heat up. When the griddle is hot enough add your food and start cooking. This is a great method for thin cuts of meat and tough vegetables.
TIP - This is not a subtle cooking method, so you must do it somewhere secluded and as safe as possible.
#2 - Faux Grill
This method follows a similar thought process to the Faux Griddle method. However, you will need to find something to act as a set of Faux grates, rather than a griddle. This method is better for cooking tender fruits and vegetables, as well as thicker cuts of meat.
TIP - You will find it much easier to cook with coal embers compared to a roaring flame. Let the flames die down a bit before you start cooking.
If you are looking for a makeshift grill woven branches, chainlink fence, or even chicken wire will work well. Dig yourself a small firepit (it only needs to be 2-3 inches deep), start your fire, and then let it die down.
TIP - Getting something really got is a great way to disinfect it quickly and without wasting precious resources. It also makes for easier cooking if you heat up your utensils.
Once your 'grill' is nice and hot, place your food on and allow it to cook.
TIP - developing forging skills can not only have your life in an emergency, but it can also give you the ability to spice up your daily meals.
#1 - Spit Roast
This is perhaps the oldest cooking method of all time, but there is a reason why it has lasted. You can use this method to cook pretty much anything, including whole animal carcasses.
TIP - Part of your preparation should include knowing how to gut and skin an animal. This is something you don't want to be trying for the first time 'on the job'...
You will need a metal pole (or wet branch), and 6 branches to make a stand. Use 3 branches at each end of the fire to make forked supports. Once you have prepared your food, skewer it through with the metal pole.
Prop the pole into the supports, and turn the meal until it is cooked.
TIP - not turning the food will result in one side of it being raw and the other burnt to a crisp.
BONUS TIP - Use a wet branch if you do not have a metal pole to hand. A dry branch will burn or splinter and will drop your food into the fire.